'24: Legacy' News: Fox Orders '24' Revival; Series Won't Star Kiefer Sutherland
Fox is adding a reboot of "24," the popular espionage/political action thriller that aired its original show's last episode in May 2010, to its line-up of revivals this year.
The "24" reboot, which will be called "24: Legacy," will be executive produced by former "24" producers Manny Coto, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, and Evan Katz. Production companies Imagine Television, 20th Century Fox Television, and Teakwood Lane Productions, which also handled "24," are already attached to the project.
"24: Legacy" will follow the story of a military hero who has returned to the U.S. but finds himself in trouble. Fearing for his life, the man will ask the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) for help. With the CTU's assistance, the new "24" hero will take on what may be one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the U.S.
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According to Variety, Kiefer Sutherland will not reprise the role of Jack Bauer in the "24" reboot. The magazine reports that the series will have an entirely new cast of characters and that the new lead character will be played by a diverse actor. This bit of news was confirmed by Fox CEO Dana Walden, who said, "The character was originally conceived as being a diverse actor."
"We wanted it to be as different from Jack Bauer as possible," Walden explained. She added: "That was the original thinking behind having this be a diverse lead. Whether that's African-American or a Latino actor, we've been really excited by some of the people we've been seeing throughout our internal process."
"24: Legacy," will, however, retain the original series' real-time storytelling, its split screens, and its format of one episode following the events of one hour in an action-packed day.
"24," which had a huge following during its eight-season run, debuted in 2001 and aired until 2010. A TV movie, "24: Redemption," aired in 2008. In 2014, Sutherland reprised his role as Bauer in "24: Live Another Day."
